ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – With the sun finally poking through the clouds on a crisp autumn evening outside the Windy City, 43-1 shot Volponi posted a stupendous upset in yesterday’s $4 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Arlington Park, blowing away a stellar field by 6½ lengths under jockey Jose Santos before a sellout crowd of 46,118.

Volponi, of 12 horses the longest shot on the board in the World Thoroughbred Championship’s marquee event, sat back off the early pace, blasted through along the rail turning for home and drew off for fun, running the mile-and-a-quarter in 2:01.1 to pay $89.

Medaglia d’Oro, the 5-2 favorite, hung on for second in a photo-finish over Milwaukee Brew, keying a boxcar $463.60 exacta. Evening Attire ran fourth. Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem was outrun in the early going by E Dubai, briefly struck the lead on the far turn but backed up down the lane to chug home eighth in the final start of his career. Came Home also retires on a losing note after finishing 10th.

Irish invader Hawk Wing was seventh for trainer Aidan O’Brien, whose seven-horse Ballydoyle brigade experienced a day of agony and ecstasy. O’Brien won the $2 million Turf with High Chaparral, but his best colt, Rock of Gibraltar, was upset in the Mile, and his Landseer suffered a fatal injury in the same race.

All-source betting on the 11 races at Arlington yesterday totalled $115,523,156, a Cup record. Six winning Pick 6 tickets paid $428,392 each. All six were bet at Catskill OTB.

Volponi’s improbable victory – he was just 2-for-7 this season going into the Classic and had never won a Grade 1 stakes – threw a monkey wrench into the voting for Horse of the Year.

With top candidates War Emblem, Came Home and Medaglia d’Oro all beaten, the filly Azeri will gain momentum after winning the Distaff. No filly has been named Horse of the Year since Lady’s Secret in 1986.

Volponi is Italian for “sly old fox,” which aptly describes his trainer, 76-year-old Belmont Park-based Hall of Famer P.G. Johnson. The victory was a sweet one for the resident of Floral Park on Long Island, who was born and raised in Chicago and trained horses here in the late 1940s. Johnson and his wife, Mary Kay, celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary today.

Johnson, who bred Volponi and owns him in partnership with Edward Baier, bought his dam, Prom Knight, for $8,000. The 4-year-old son of Cryptoclearance collected $2,080,000 for winning the Classic, more than three times what he earned in his previous 22 starts.

“I have no interest in money,” Johnson said. “Ask my wife. I told her all week long, don’t holler at me. At the 3/16ths pole, you’re going to be proud.”

After racing on dirt for most of his career, Volponi moved to the turf course over the summer, winning the Poker Handicap and placing in the Bernard Baruch, Sword Dancer and Belmont Breeders’ Cup. Last out, Johnson switched him back to dirt for the Meadowlands Cup, rallying to finish second as the favorite.

That loss prompted Johnson to equip him with blinkers yesterday.

“I wasn’t happy with the Meadowlands Cup,” he said. “At first I wanted to blame the jockey [Shaun Bridgmohan, who rode Evening Attire in the Classic]. But then I watched the replay and saw he was riding but wasn’t getting any response.

“He had to go six wide and was only beaten half a length. The blinkers make him concentrate.”

Johnson cross-entered Volponi in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on turf but opted for the Classic instead.

“I think he’s a natural mile-and-a-quarter horse, and he runs as well on dirt as grass,” he said. “The Classic is $4 million, the Mile is $1 million. Do the numbers.”

In the Classic, E Dubai showed the way for the first six furlongs in fast splits of :23, :46.3 and 1:10.1, shadowed by War Emblem, Medaglia d’Oro and Perfect Drift, with Santos sitting chilly on Volponi in fifth. Turning for home, War Emblem, then Medaglia d’Oro, stuck their heads in front, but Volponi cut the corner and opened daylight in the blink of an eye.

Santos, once one of the top money riders in the game, lost much of his business after a bad spill in 1992. His career has been rejuvenated this year; the Classic was his seventh win in the Breeders’ Cup, but just his second since 1990.

“As soon as I called on the horse, he came running,” Santos said. “I’m not surprised at all. I told my wife three days ago he would win. This horse has been doing wonderful. I think the blinkers back on made the difference.”